Lawyers. Corrupt lawyers. Corrupt cops.
Those kind of people exist.
They're not common, but they're out there.
That's how it works.
what do you mean I didn't win, I ate more wet t-shirts than anyone else
In philosophical terms, a real-life card carrying villain is someone who doesn't give a shit about labels like good and evil and most likely sees the world only in what's good for him and what's not, doing away with all attempts to see morality. Such a person describes himself as evil and uses the trappings of evil mostly because it entertains him or to fit some sort of psychological purpose (i.e he means to appear as a moustache-twirling villain because he likes to fuck with people or to cause dread).
"All you Fascists bound to lose."
The Collective
Think of it more as a mercenary than a card carrying villain. Paid to do a job, even if that job is unsavory. Even if they're not paid, this is what they do and they make their living doing it.
edited 18th Jun '15 7:08:58 AM by iamathousandapples
"I could eat a knob at night" - Karl Pilkington
While there might be some real people who consider themselves to be evil, they are still rare and outlandish enough that they still fit in better as an escapist fictional archetype, whether humorous or serious.
The Dark Knight's Joker. Violently insane, obsessed with chaos. Not a joke.
Fresh-eyed movie blog
Seriously, when I think of a Card-Carrying Villain, I think of a mustache-twirling buffoon who is no more dangerous than a schoolyard bully.
But in more serious works, the Card-Carrying Villain is portrayed as a nightmarishly evil character that crosses the Moral Event Horizon on a daily basis. the Red Skull, the [[Hellsing (Manga) Major]], and Darkseid all acknowledge themselves as evil one way or another, yet they invoke horror rather than laughs because of it.
How is this possible? How can a cartoonish archetype be portrayed in such a monstrous manner in darker works?